Elite

Social media roundup: Lake Okeechobee practice

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Captions by
Shaye Baker
The 2023 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee is almost here. But before the season opener begins, let’s take a look back at what the anglers have been up to this week. Like the rest of the Elite Series field, Caleb Sumrall was ready to hit the road for sunny south Florida.
Many anglers like Kyle Welcher opted to head down to Florida a few days early, to get in some pre-practice and knock the frost off their gear fishing other lakes in Florida.
It looks like it was time well spent for Welcher.
Jamie Hartman spent his time behind the wheel, testing out all the rigging on his new boat for this season.
It’s good to see Clark Wendlandt back on the water after his season was cut short last year due to an eye injury.
Elite Series rookie Joey Cifuentes III found him a nice Florida bass.
As did fellow rookie Kyle Norsetter.
Masayuki Matsushita really got on them.
Catching big one…
…after big one.
Carl Jocumsen and company got in on the action as well.
Rookie Alex Wetherell shows us the less glamorous side of pro fishing, tackle prep.
Time for the anglers to make their way on down to Okeechobee, as Derek Hudnall get’s settled in.
Many of the anglers like to camp, and Darold Gleason has found a nice spot for it.
Hudnall, Bryan New, Bryan Schmitt and John Crews hangout at a local boat dealership for the day, meeting and greeting a few fans.
But it’s finally time to hit the water here at the Big O.
Though the first day of practice for Okeechobee saw heavy winds and cloud cover, beautiful sunrises and sunsets abound as we get further into practice.
Greg Hackney is right at home in this shallow water wonderland filled with aquatic vegetation.
A shot looking back across the boat from John Crews. Crews won the season opener last year on the St Johns River, can he do it again here?
Two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Brandon Palaniuk currently holds the title for best in the land, but the score is set back to zero now as he looks for number three.
Jocumsen with a beautiful shot of the sunset.
A shot from Mark Menendez that let’s you know you’re definitely in Florida.
Time to take a look at some of the baits that will likely play here this week. A topwater swimbait is always a favorite, as Bryan New shows off the new Zoom Uni Toad.
Stick baits play big too here, and David Mullins has a plenty.
Hank Cherry shows us another big bite producer.
Elite Series pro Justin Hamner has one too. A jig always needs to be on the deck in Florida. The perfect bait for flipping over into reed clumps and other vegetation.
Brad Whatley knows what it will take to get into the thickest cover though.
Punching creature baits into matted vegetation using a big tungsten weight is one of the best ways to catch big bass in Florida. Here’s what Hank Cherry plans to do it with.
Hamner’s selection here is a small craw, a long time favorite for this technique.
Bryan New shows us what punching will do.
Jocumsen follows suit.
All the anglers hope to see this in the bottom of their boats at the end of the day. If you go through this many baits, you’ve caught several big ones.
Let’s head back out onto the water for more practice shots from Okeechobee.
Clewiston native and local favorite to win this event, Scott Martin runs out to check on some of his old pals.
Brandon Card launches his boat, which is great to see considering his recent health battles. In early January, Card was diagnosed with viral meningitis and Bell’s Palsy caused by the shingles virus. Great to see that he’s doing well enough to fish this week.
On day one of practice, it was cloudy, windy and cold. But Chad Pipkens was still glad to be on the water.
Day two he was even happier.
Jacob Powroznik offers up another look at the cover the anglers will contend with this week.
A unique perspective from Scott Martin’s camera crew. Okeechobee is a labyrinth of boat lanes and trails tucked back into vegetation.
Here’s a ground level view of a little bit tighter trail from Alex Wetherell.
The water is up this week on Okeechobee, but these guys still like to go as shallow as they can go. And that’s pretty shallow as Greg DiPalma illustrates.
Chad Pipkens is back in there as well.
Another of the not so glamorous parts of professional fishing, David Gaston fills the tanks full so he can explore the nearly half million acres of Lake Okeechobee.
Jonathan Kelley gets in his good deed for the day, towing a fellow angler in.
The fishing has been a little tough on Okeechobee through practice, as Seth Feider holds a small fish up for the camera.
Bryan New is feeling the pain too, as these are not the big Florida bass they are looking for.
Cory Johnston even punched up a magnum crappie.
But these guys know how to catch them, as Skylar Hamilton illustrates with this good one.
Jocumsen with another big one.
Josh Douglas echoes the sentiment. Looks like things are starting to come together out on the water.
Brandon Lester hopes to continue the wild run of success he had last season.
Hamner with a good one.
Matt Robertson with a toad.
And we leave you with a family shot from Stetson Blaylock, as he wished his family a Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s time now for the anglers to make their final preparations and then head out onto Okeechobee in the morning to get the 2023 season underway.

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